Brooklyn Nets achieving record TV ratings, for some reason

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The Brooklyn Nets are getting all sorts of ratings spikes lately. After the Nets-Lakers game last week achieved the highest ratings the Nets have seen in seven years, Saturday night’s Nets-Heat contest was the highest-rated Nets game since YES Network started broadcasting the team’s games. From our friends at YES Network:

Saturday evening’s Nets-Heat game was the most-watched and highest-rated regular season Nets telecast ever on YES (158,000 average TV HHs, 2.15 average TV HH rating in the New York DMA), eclipsing YES’ February 29, 2004 Lakers-Nets telecast (139,000 average TV HHs, 1.89 average TV HH rating). Saturday’s YES telecast was also the most-watched and highest-rated regular-season Nets telecast not featuring the Knicks on a New York regional sports network in almost 15 years. On January 23, 1998, Fox Sports New York’s Nets-Bulls telecast averaged 186,000 TV HHs and a 2.80 average TV HH rating.

The YES Network has averaged a 1.0 TV HH rating for its Nets telecasts this season, vs. a .39 average TV HH rating for its 22 Nets telecasts through the end of January 2012 (January 2012 was YES’ first full month of Nets games last season, due to the NBA lockout). This marks a 156% increase in average TV HH ratings. YES’ Nets telecasts are also up 235% in Persons 25-54 and 200% in Males 25-54 during that same time period.

A 235% increase in viewership from 25-54 this season? Well, stupefyingly gee golly. If only there was some explanation for all this…